National Walking Month: Get Fit, Get Healthy, and Give Back

April 14, 2023

If you weren’t already aware, May is National Walking Month. It is a great opportunity to get out and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. It’s also a great time to get fit and healthy, and to raise money for charity by completing a virtual fitness challenge. 

What are the benefits of walking? 

Walking is a great form of exercise, with multiple benefits for both your body and your mind.  

Physical health benefits of walking 

It’s low-impact, so it’s easy on your joints and therefore one of the most popular and effective ways of maintaining good health for people of all fitness level and age. It’s also a great way to get some cardio exercise. Walking can help you burn calories, improve your cardiovascular health, which will reduce your risk of obesity, heart disease, and stroke. 

Walking with help to strengthen your bones and muscles, particularly in your legs, hips and back. This will help to keep your body stronger as it ages.  

Walking has been associated with reducing risk of some types of cancer, including breast and bowel cancer. Just 20 minutes is a day is said to help to reduce your risk of terminal illness.  

Mental health benefits of walking  

Walking is also a great way to relieve stress and improve your mental health. Studies have shown that walking can help reduce anxiety, depression, and stress. It can also help improve your mood and cognitive function. Some people prefer to get up and go for a walk first thing in the morning in the fresh air to start their day with a clear head and a sense of purpose, others prefer to go off into the countryside to take on several hours of brisk exercise. However you do it, there is no denying the mental health benefits of getting out in the air and walking anywhere.  

Taking on a walk in the evening is a great way to wind down before bedtime, which in turn can help you to sleep much better when you get to bed. A full night’s sleep is another great way to ensure you start your day with some pep in your step, instead of sluggish and unable to get your head into the day.  

Discover new people and places 

In addition to the physical and mental health benefits, walking is also a great way to explore your community and connect with nature. When you walk, you’re more likely to take in your surroundings and appreciate the beauty of the world around you. 

And you don’t need to do it alone either; enlist the company of your family members walking groups are an amazing part of many people’s social lives. Likeminded people getting together on a weekend to cover several miles in the countryside, around lakes, or even in the mountainous climes of the vast moorlands of the UK.  

Take a Virtual Tour of Rio de Janeiro for charity 

If you’re looking for a way to get fit, healthy, and give back, consider taking part in the Fitwins virtual walking challenge.  

The Fitwins Virtual Walking Challenge is an amazing way to help to raise money for your chosen charity, whether you’re taking it on alone or working with friends or colleagues to amass as many miles as you can in 31 days.  

Link the Fitwins app to your Strava app, and head out on a walk. It doesn’t matter whether you’re walking around your local park with your dog or jumping in the car to take on the Three Peaks Challenge. Inside the app, you can track your progress around some of the world’s most famous cities and landmarks, clicking on the Google Streetview icon to get right down into the map.   

There are distance targets to achieve, global leaderboards to climb, and if you upgrade to premium entry then you will gain a fantastic heavyweight virtual challenge medal that’s exclusive to the challenge you’re taking.  

In May, the challenge of the month is the beautiful home of Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro. There are loads of good causes that you can get involved with, whether it’s a worldwide charity in aid of third world countries or it’s a local charity that’s close to your heart. Why not take on the might of Rio in aid of these charities? 

Ways to get Sponsorship for Charity with a Virtual Walking Challenge 

There are a couple of different ways you can request sponsorship; one way would be to ask your friends, family and colleagues to sponsor you a set amount for every mile that you complete. For example, if you’re planning to take on the 25 mile virtual fitness challenge, why not have them sponsor you 50p per mile, or even £1?  

Another might be to simply request a set amount upon hitting your preferred challenge distance. For example, you aim to complete a 50 mile Fitwins virtual walking challenge, they donate £5 to your cause when you hit your target? 

Why not register for an online charity sponsor platform to collect your donations remotely? Remember to check for the ones with high collection fees to ensure the most possible money goes to your charity of choice, or most charities do already have a pre-built sponsorship collection system you can use.  

Share:

Recent news

Run, cycle or walk and earn awesome medals

Cycling
Embarking on a new cycling journey can be an exciting yet daunting experience. To make the most of your time on the saddle, follow these 10 essential cycling tips for beginners.
Health and Fitness
One of the great things that you can do with Fitwins virtual fitness challenges, when you register for a medal entry challenge, is create groups with your friends and family so that you can track your progress against each other and see how you’re doing as a collective.
Remember your 'Why?'
Running
If you’re ready to take on a virtual fitness challenge, then look no further than Fitwins! This exciting program offers the perfect opportunity to challenge yourself and stay motivated while achieving your fitness goals.
Cycling
Even if you’re not a fitness junkie, virtual fitness challenges hold a great many benefits. They are a fantastic way to get fit on your own terms and maintain a high level of motivation as you complete them.
Five Ways to Smash a Virtual Fitness Challenge
Running
The Fitwins virtual fitness challenge can be taken on completely free. Fitwins virtual fitness challenges are an excellent way to build and maintain your motivation to get fit and stay healthy. Whether you’re a cyclist, walker, distance runner or casual jogger, they offer a variety of benefits, including: 
Cycling
We are beyond delighted to announce that we have partnered with the team over at Win Your Dream Bike to provide our users with the chance of winning a professional standard bike worth well in excess of £8,000! 

FAQ

Not sure how virtual fitness works?

The easiest way to learn is to try Fitwins for yourself! The app is free to download, and you only pay for challenges you take part in, so why not take it for a test drive?

In the meantime, here are the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions about how Fitwins compares to other virtual walking challenges.

No! We believe that flexibility is the key to fitness success, so instead of forcing you to complete a set distance, we let you set your own goal.  This means you can be flexible in how you complete YOUR challenge: so if you are smashing your target, you can raise the bar and aim for more. 

All entries into our challenge will receive a great medal, with a ribbon specific to the challenge type.

For our “iconic challenges”, your ribbon will have a unique design related to the challenge. For our regular monthly challenges, your ribbon will reflect the total distance you covered.

Running and walking ribbons are awarded based on 25, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175 and 200+ miles. Cycling ribbons are for distances of 50km, 100km, 200km, 500km, 1000km, 2000km and 3000km. 

Absolutely! Not only that, but all the distance you’ve covered since the start of the month will count, as the Fitwins App syncs with Strava and logs all activities from the start of the month, regardless of what date you sign up for the challenge. 

If you are hitting the streets with your app activated, verification is completed automatically by sycning with Strava. You can focus on completing your challenge, and we’ll take care of the rest.

If you’re using a treadmill, exercycle or other stationary equipment for some of your challenge, you’ll need to log this manually.

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

Be the first to hear about our exciting virtual running and virtual cycling challenges, medals and awards

Activate
Motivation Mode

Download our app and try our challenges for FREE